Market Gardening. Maintenance and monitoring activities continue to mobilise the thirty six young mothers who are living in the village of ‘Beoogo Tienbo’ in the North of Ouagadougou. The agro-ecology market garden has really taken shape and the following plants can be seen: sorrel, tomatoes, beans, cabbages, okra, lettuces and melons. These plants were chosen based on the dietary needs of the girls at the Keoogo village. The girls have already begun to eat produce from the vegetable garden.

When each girl returns home with the necessary tools and seeds to set up their own market garden and to sell their produce, they will be replaced in the village by other girls from the surrounding community, who will also receive similar training.

Poultry Farming. All the girls have completed their training. The chicken house has been functioning for a while and the chicks have grown. We will soon have eggs in the village that will be eaten by the girls and their children. The girls are very enthusiastic and totally dedicated to looking after the chickens.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reductions in international aid funding have had an impact on our partner’s financial capacity to continue to provide education and livelihood opportunities to vulnerable girls. Funding was therefore provided by the Rotary Club of Coventry and the ICT COVID Relief Fund and this allowed six girls to set up small bakery businesses. 

Sets of equipment and baking kits were delivered to the girls which included; an oven, a gas bottle, a whisk, stainless steel bowl, weighing scales, piping bag, pastry bags, a spatula set, utensils set, cake moulds, turntable, loaf tin, oven mitt, apron, towels and raw materials (flour, butter, milk, sugar, eggs, yeast etc.).

The girls have returned to their families and most of them have started an income-generating activity with the kits that they received and are now baking and selling their products. Two teachers will continue to monitor their progress.